The Colby College volleyball team had a busy weekend, travelling to Boston to compete in the MIT Invitational. On the first day of competition, Colby faced Endicott College and first-ranked Springfield College without posting a win. However, on the second day the team entered the bronze bracket and, after losing their first match to Connecticut College, came back with an impressive win over Smith College.
During their first match of the weekend, Colby fought hard against Endicott, barely losing by a score of 25-22, 29-27, 33-31. In this tough match, the Mules saw strong performances from Heather Arvidson '11, who ended the match with eight kills and four blocks, and Claire Reich '11, who contributed 20 digs to the cause.
Other successful performances came from Lily Kramlich-Taylor '14 (eight kills), Maggie Taylor '13 (seven kills, 18 digs), and Emily Varni '13 (14 digs, five aces, nine assists). Although the team was ultimately defeated, the Mules showed their resilience by sticking with Endicott right until the end. Their ability to put up strong performances across the board allowed Colby to stay close to their opponent throughout the match.
Going into their match against Colby, Springfield College was ranked number one in New England. With a decisive win over the Mules, they solidified that ranking. Winning in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21, 25-14, Springfield managed to keep most of the Colby team quiet, giving up five kills each to Mackie Sewell '12 and Caitlin Burchill '12. Burchill also recorded seven digs along with 11 from Varni and 13 from Reich.
The next day started off with another loss to Connecticut College by a score of 25-18, 25-10, 25-17. Once again, Colby was silenced. Arvidson led the team with five kills, three aces and two blocks, while Burchill added eight digs and three kills.
However, as quiet as they may have been against Connecticut and Springfield, the Colby team made a major splash in their last match against Smith in a 25-18, 25-16, 18-25, 22-25, 15-13 victory. The stat sheet speaks volumes, as Colby finished the match with an entire page of season-best performances. Kate Pleasants '14 racked up an amazing 44 assists, along with 15 digs and three aces. Burchill pitched in with 13 kills and 15 digs, while Arvidson finished with 11 kills, including the last two of the fifth and final game of the match. Reich contributed another 22 digs and Kramlich-Taylor also left her mark on the stat sheet with nine kills and four blocks. Taylor matched Kramlich-Taylor with nine kills and five aces, and recorded a team-high 28 defensive digs.
Ending the weekend with great across-the-board performances and an impressive, hard-fought win should give the Mules plenty of confidence as they enter their next competition against rival Bowdoin College. Colby will play host to the Polar Bears on Wednesday, September 29 and hope to avenge an earlier defeat. After this midweek match, Colby will look to improve on their New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) record in NESCAC weekend at Bates College.